In A Time Of Need
by wicked-nachos-09
Summary: JJ is forced to go back to her hometown to visit her mother in hospital. Little does she know, it was staged by her obsessed step-father. Girls are also being abducted in the area. Will JJ ask the BAU team for their help or be a victim again? Emily x JJ
1. Chapter 1

Jennifer 'JJ' Jareau had been brought up to believe that if she did something wrong and she was punished for it, she deserved it. Her mother and her step-father were always very strict on her and her younger brother Jeremy. When JJ had been born and her biological father was still in the picture, they had decided that they would name their children with names that started with the letter 'J'. He left for a younger woman only months after Jeremy's birth and days before JJ's fourth birthday. A year later, a guy named Steve started coming over and staying in his mothers room for the nights to have 'grown-up sleepovers'. That was what he called them and JJ was never allowed out of bed after lights out and was especially never allowed in her mother's room when Steve was over. That rule had become permanent when he moved in and became her and Jeremy's unofficial step-father. Steve Rollins never adopted them because they weren't his. When JJ was nine, her mother had started passing out from all the drinking she was done since Steve moved in and he couldn't get _any_ from her, he moved on to JJ in the middle of the night, saying it was their little secret. It had gone on for seven years and her mother had stopped drinking long enough to find out and then go back to the booze. He was soon forgiven and as soon as JJ graduated from her high school, had her own car, money and a scholarship to a solid college, she was out of there, never looking back. Of course she felt guilty for leaving her brother behind and not talking to him in years but she knew that Steve wouldn't hurt him. He was obsessed with JJ and only JJ.

Exactly ten years had passed since JJ had fled her hometown and gone on to bigger and way better things. Now she was a Communications Liaison for the FBI's Behavioural Analysis Unit and was in a steady relationship – she had been for the past year almost. Special Agent Jennifer Jareau was actually happy, until there was a message waiting on her answering machine when she arrived home after a very long hard case in Colorado involving children. She hated those cases. The entire team did because the kids were so innocent and any case could have some way of hitting home for any agent on their team. Every unsub they caught who hurt kids and claimed that those kids deserved it, so JJ had to hold back the bile that attempted to rise in her throat every time she heard those words. Setting her overnight bag on the floor next to her couch, she pushed the _play_ button and went into the kitchen across from her living room for a glass of red wine.

_'You have one new message,' said the tone of the machine._

_'Jay? If this is you, you need to call me or come home or something. It's your brother. Steve got drunk and really bad. Mums in the hospital and he's on the run. You're an FBI agent, maybe you can help catch him. Call my cell when you get this. (Insert fake number here),'_ was what came from the machine. JJ had frozen in her spot when she heard who it was. How did Jeremy get her number? She wasn't even listed. He actually sounded quiet desperate and upset, possibly guilty.

She was fumbling with her cell phone in her hands, feet up on the wooden coffee table and shoes in two different places and her jacket was hanging over one of the dining table chairs with folders and a briefcase case sitting in the chair. The message was playing over and over in her mind, certain points sticking out from the rest of her brother's words. His cell number, Steve got drunk and Mum's in the hospital stood out majorly for the twenty-eight year old. Unexpectedly, it began to vibrate in her hands, shocking her slightly. Without even looking at the caller ID, JJ automatically responded, "Jareau."

"Hey," said a soft, warm voice on the other end.

"Hey, babe. What's up?" replied JJ, hearing the voice of her lover. Sure JJ loved the sound of the voice on the other end, but after her brother's message, she had been in serious thinking mode, debating on whether or not to call him, if she should go back to Pennsylvania to see her mother and maybe have a catch up with Steve.

"I'm about to get some Chinese from that all night place you like so much, then I'm going to be at your place in about twenty minutes to make sure eat something. All you've eaten this week is coffee, biscuits and junk. I know you're probably really exhausted but you gotta eat something," said Emily Prentiss. Special Agent of the FBI and colleague of JJ. They worked in the same team. Working for BAU had its perks. Because she was a profiler and was trained to study human behaviour, she could tell when something was wrong with her girlfriend. Even though their 'family' had all agreed not to profile each other, minus JJ and Garcia because they were the Communications Liaison and the Computer Geek, Emily could tell when her voice changed to fit her emotion. Right now she was sure that JJ was either confused about something, depressed or mentally reliving memories. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Em," said JJ, trying to fight a losing battle and change the subject.

"Jayj," responded Emily her voice firm but gentle, as she climbed out of her car and walked into the Chinese take-out store.

"We'll just talk about it when you get here," said JJ, rubbing a hand over her tired face.

"Okay. I'll be there soon, hun. Relax a little and pull out the wine maybe a movie," suggested Emily, hanging up. She was next in line and had to give her full attention to the board full of choices. She had to make sure she got the right food because they messed up last time, even though she and JJ weren't complaining. They got double their order for free.

JJ phone snapped shut and her head slumped back against the overly squishy but comfortable dark grey leather couch. Thankfully, Hotch had ordered that they were to have no weekend cases because he wanted to spend as much time as he could with his son. A recent divorcee and it seemed to them team that he paid more attention to Jack and sometimes Haley, when she dropped the four year old off in his father's office, after the divorce than during their marriage.

The wait for her girlfriend was a short twenty minutes and JJ was bent over, leaning against the cool railing of her balcony with her glass of wine sitting on the small decking table next to her when she felt two hands land softly on her hips. She hadn't heard the door open or even the bags of food be put down on the bench. When she gave Emily a key to her apartment, it was because she wanted to prove the she loved the older woman and was committed to their relationship. They had had they own fair share of hard cases, which usually resulted in one of the women going off at the other. It worked and soon, JJ had Emily's key on her chain to use when she wanted. That was six months ago and only now had JJ realised was that when she felt Emily come up behind her out of nowhere, she didn't flinch like she used to in the early weeks of their almost year long relationship.

A cool breeze whipped calmly at their hair as Emily pulled JJ to her, holding her close and warmly in the autumn weather. She knew something was wrong, so she would have to play to her strengths to get it out of JJ – who could be extremely stubborn at times. "Hi," she whispered quietly against JJ's hair.

"Hi," replied JJ, not really wanting to get onto the topic of 'what was wrong' with her at the moment.

"I see you started wine without me," said Emily, trying to sound playfully offended.

"Well, you took too long," replied JJ, turning in the brunettes arms to smirk at her. She wasn't able to hold her smirk for long until she broke out into a bigger grin, never showing her teeth. That told Emily that something was definitely upsetting her.

Gently grasping the waistband of JJ's pants at her hips, Emily pushed the blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman against the railing before bracing her hands either side of the younger girl. "Tell me what's wrong? What's got you all quiet and upset, huh?" whispered Emily, invading the personal space, from which she never received any protests about.

"I, umm, I got phone call today. More like a message when I checked the machine," started JJ, sighing and pressing her eyes shut before finishing off her sentence. "From my brother."

"I didn't think that you had a brother," said Emily, keeping her voice quiet and encouraging, not really wanting JJ to spill whatever it was in an angry fight or not at all.

"Well, technically I do. I just don't really speak to him. I haven't spoken to him in about, ahh, ten years," answered JJ, looking into Emily's chocolate brown eyes.

"Okay, so what was said in the message from the brother you haven't spoken to in a decade, that's got you all quiet?" asked Emily, gently probing JJ for answers.

"I'm not listed so I don't how he got my number. My...step-father is on the run from the police. My mother is in the hospital. And to top it all off, I really do not want to go back there," sighed JJ. Emily's hands were now behind JJ's back on the railing, fingering the bottom of the white V neck shirt she had on.

The look the JJ was on the receiving end of was a warm, encouraging one, telling her explain why she doesn't wasn't to go home to Pennsylvania to visit her mother in the hospital when a mother might need their child the most.

"Bad childhood. I'm just glad I haven't turned out like an unsub, so far," JJ finished off.

"I think you turned out pretty alright," said Emily, choosing and speaking her words carefully.

"Just alright?" now JJ was teasing her lover, successfully changing the subject.

"How about pretty _damn good_?" tried Emily, pretending to be worried that she was on the right course but not there just yet.

JJ pulled a face at her and shook her head smiling. The young blonde woman was leaning in, making sure to stop just short of Emily's lips.

"Ok, I'm getting warmer though right?" asked Emily, her hand resting in the crook on JJ's neck, smoothly and lightly grazing her fingertips over the skin.

"Slowly," answered JJ. "Very slowly."

"Hmm, amazing?" Emily asked again, her face breaking out in a graceful smile.

"Nearly there," whispered JJ, getting even closer as her own arms wrapped around the five foot nine woman's waist, pulling her against JJ's body. Every move either one made was soft, smooth, playful and light, making sure not to rush anything, and ruin their little game.

"Ok, you got me there. What's better than amazing?" replied Emily, pulling back a semi-serious look on her face.

"You tell me," challenged JJ, slipping her arms from Emily's waist, to rest on the wooden banister of the railing and raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, alright, alright, I got this. You turned out sooo amazing, that you render me speechless," answered the brunette, with her hands on her hips and losing all contact she had with JJ.

"That'll have to do now, won't it?" said JJ, quickly pulling her girlfriend to her in one swift movement. One hand went to Emily's hip to push up under her clean, white button up work shirt and the other slipped into JJ's favourite place on Emily's neck. Leaning against the railing felt safe, it was strong, recent and was screwed into the main supports every meter along the balcony so Emily pushed the blonde against it, pressing her lips to JJ's in a bruising kiss. A long gentle moan escaped from JJ, as a hand found its way into her hair, removing the clip that held it up in its bun.

Emily didn't want to push her boundaries even though she had been testing those since she and JJ first got together. If she was upset about her mother, step-father, that her brother found her and having to decide whether or not to go home, she didn't want to upset her anymore or rush her into the bedroom. The Ambassadors daughter pulled back, smiling giddily at JJ who was mirroring her with their foreheads were touching. Emily ran her hands through JJ's dead straight blonde hair, smoothing it over from its slight messiness.

"How about we go and eat the probably now cold Chinese food I got, like, half an hour ago and then you can tell me later about your childhood. What do you say?" suggested Emily, slinging her arm over JJ's shoulders and pulling her close, basically walking her into her kitchen. The clock on the stainless steel, modern fridge displayed 12: 53 am. "If you're not too tired, that is."

"I'm not as tired as I was, especially after that kiss. I am hungry though. When I tell you, about what was so bad about my childhood, promise me you won't...push, or anything," JJ had suddenly gone serious and slightly hesitant.

"I promise," replied Emily, gently caressing JJ's cheek, the younger girl leaning into the touch.


	2. Chapter 2

Unfortunately for Hotch and the team, Monday morning rolled around way to fast. The time he spent with Jack had gone as fast as it had arrived and at 5:45 am, he was knocking on Haley's sister's door with a four-year-old asleep in his arms. JJ had gotten a call from one of the night staff to come in because a case had come from nowhere and the local police had requested that she take the case. The blonde agent reluctantly shook Emily awake, who slept through her cell ringing and JJ answering it. Morgan had spent a day with Garcia and ended up asleep on her couch. After she got shot, he became extremely protective of her, which to Emily and JJ was not surprising. Rossi was grumpy as his usual morning self, snapping at some of the new agents in the elevator when they were leaving at 6 am.

As they all filed into the conference room tiredly, JJ placed a file in front of each of them, ruffling Reid's hair as she went, waking him up again. Hotch was nearly running as he dropped his case off in his office and marched into the room, shutting the door behind him and rubbing his eyes as he took his seat next to Emily.

"JJ, how are you so awake?" asked Morgan, his eyes drooping closed slowly. JJ was dressed professionally with straight hair and light make-up, where as Hotch, Reid and Morgan looked as if they picked out clothes from the pile and they were all unshaven. This was the first time they team had seen Hotch in a t-shirt and jeans in the office.

"It's called coffee and a shower," she answered smartly, pointing the remote at the screen and beginning her briefing.

"East Allegheny, Pennsylvania. In the past two weeks, seven girls have gone missing all between the ages of six and nine. They turn up the day after they go missing, dead in what looks like random places all over the town. The coroner reports that they were all beaten and sexually assaulted before being dumped. Nothing in common except their blonde hair and blue eyes," explained JJ, taking her spot on the other side of Emily. Pictures of the young girls were displayed on the screen.

"Well, that's obvious that he needs a sexual release," said Hotch, quietly as he skimmed through the notes in the file that JJ had given him.

"Local authorities put him anywhere between thirty-five to fifty years old based on the statements given by the children at the park where the first three victims were taken," said JJ. "According to some older kids about twelve or thirteen, 'there was an old guy looking for a dog and asking kids to him find it.' Okay, so he is using a ruse to get the kids attention."

"The victims were all found with bite marks on their shoulders and skin cells were found under their fingernails, which suggests that they fought back," suggested Reid, looking to Morgan, who was looking at the screen.

"We got some sick people in this world. Do the _'Local authorities'_ have any suspects in mind?" asked Morgan, looking towards JJ.

"Ahh, yeah. Any white male between those ages who does carpentry or painting for a living, which could a number of people in the town. Splinters of wood with paint specks were found on the bodies. There are huge numbers of those kinds of jobs in the town," answered the blonde, looking back to the screen. She hoped that she was wrong at suspecting her step-father was behind these criminal acts against the helpless children.

"How were they killed?" asked Emily, asking the bad question and she could see JJ tense up at the question.

"One bullet ripped right their hearts," finished JJ, sighing and hurrying out as soon as Hotch said his next words.

"That could mean a possible military training background. Dishonourable discharge maybe," said Rossi, finally speaking up.

"Wheel's up in an hour. Go home and get your bags, we don't know how long we could be there. JJ, you call the police and let them know we will be there in two hours and keep this from the media as much as possible. I don't want our UnSub knowing that we're there," said Hotch, gathering his things to finish up paperwork and put one of Jack's latest drawings on his wall.

"Morgan, how about you get gonna get Garcia to do digging for us," said Emily. "Anyone with a criminal background in those jobs and that age barrier. Might help narrow down the search."

"Got it," he replied, pulling out his cell phone to see where the Queen of Geeks was. Emily was walking briskly to catch up with JJ, who left in a hurry to get back to her office to gather a few things before going home to prepare her overnight bag for the trip.

"Are you okay?" asked Emily. "I noticed you were in a kind of quiet trance in there. Even though you briefed everyone."

"I just... I hope I'm wrong with thinking that my...step-father is responsible for this. He beat my mother a few weeks ago bad enough to put her in the hospital and now he's on the run from the police. Remember what I told you. About what he did to me," sighed JJ, leaning against her desk.

"Baby, you need to tell Hotch that you suspect it could be him. He needs to know. I'll get your things and meet you there at the airstrip, okay?" suggested Emily, pressing a soft kiss to JJ's forehead.

"Alright, I'll go talk to him now to avoid saying it in front of everyone," answered JJ, pushing off the desk to make her way back through the bull-pen to her 'bosses' office.

The walk back through the bull-pen was a long one to JJ as she walked up the few stairs to knock on Aaron Hotchner's open office door.

"What's up, JJ? You call the police already? That was fast," said Hotch, setting his pen down, noticing that she was fidgeting with her hands. "JJ."

"I think my step-father might have something to do with the girls," she said quickly, quietly and while looking down at her feet.

"Sit down and shut the door. Why would you think that?" he asked calmly. It was important that JJ tell him everything she could. If it was who she thought it was, it could help them majorly.

"When I was nine, four years after he married my mother and moved in, he started to molest me. It went on for seven years and a few weeks ago he put my mother in the hospital by beating her to a bloody pulp," she explained, her eyes straight ahead and her face was tensed as she blurted it out.

It had been easier than she thought. Telling Emily was major because they had been dating for a year, JJ trusted her girlfriend with the explanation of why she didn't want to go home to visit her mother, Emily didn't push her for details and eventually she got it all out. Telling Hotch was a little different because he was like a protective older brother and she didn't know how he would react, they also didn't have all the time in the world. She had ended up ringing Jeremy back over the weekend and getting all the details.

"What's his name? I'll get Garcia to run it and se3e what comes up. He could've been charged with crimes since you came out here," said Hotch. He stood up and kneeled in front of the younger agent. "This is good JJ. This could help majorly, but unfortunately you can't be in the field to arrest him if he is the UnSub."

"I know, but I want to help catch him," she said, looking him in the eyes.

"Alright. Who else knows?" he asked softly.

"Emily," replied JJ, standing up. "I'll go call the cops."

"JJ," said Hotch, sighing.

"Steve Rollins," she said simply walking out of his office, right passed everyone in the bullpen and straight to her office to call the East Allegheny Police Station.

It hadn't taken long to contact the Sherriff at the station and to inform him that they would be there in just less than two hours. As it turns out, the Sherriff was the father of one of JJ's child hood friends. _'Oh, that's just great,'_ thought JJ.

The plane flight was the worst to JJ, going over the file. Emily next to her, trapping her against the window and Hotch across from them, asking her questions quietly as Reid and Morgan sat on the single seaters talking quietly with each other and Rossi was sitting alone noting things, telling them to the two boys. Under the table, JJ had a grip on Emily's hand as the sun rise came into view in the distance and she spotted familiar areas on the ground below them while the seat belt sign came on.

There was no doubt that JJ was nervous but she tried hard not to show it or break down if she saw Steve again. They were on the ground in ten minutes and the Sherriff was on the ground, ready to greet them.

"Sherriff Wes Lambley?" asked JJ, receiving a nod from the man. She had her hand out to shake his but he just stared at her. "Agent Jennifer Jareau, we spoke on the phone. This is Special Agents Aaron Hotchner, Derek Morgan, Emily Prentiss, David Rossi and Doctor Spencer Reid."

She didn't need to be a profiler to notice that he shook all of their hands and not hers. Maybe he was mad that JJ left her best friend all through school, his daughter Sarah, to get out of East Allegheny and off to college. Two black SUV's were sitting with an officer in each ready to take them to the station.

"Jareau and Prentiss, you're with me," said Hotch. He decided that it would be better to have them together so they could quickly talk freely without the other boys asking questions about their questions. They took off quickly to the station and that's when JJ opened her mouth.

"What can you tell me about Jeremy Jareau?" she asked, receiving an odd glance from Hotch.

"Kids are getting kidnapped and killed, and you want to visit your damn brother?" replied the Sherriff, looking appalled at JJ.

"I got a phone call from him the other day explaining about my mother. Something that Steve did. I need to speak with Jeremy. Where does he live?" she asked more firmly.

"He and his family live on a small farm on the outskirts of town. Nice people," said Wes. "What do you want me to tell my men to say to the press?"

"Nothing. Keep the FBI out of it for as long as you can. We don't want the UnSub knowing we're here. It should work to our advantage," said Hotch.

"UnSub?" asked the driver. He was the Deputy Sherriff.

"Unknown Subject. Since we don't know who it is, we refer to the suspect as an UnSub," explained Emily, wedged in between JJ and Hotch.

"What can you tell me about a Steve Rollins?" asked Hotch, receiving an odd look from Emily. She guessed JJ told Hotch, the quick story and got most of it out.

"Bit weird. Married her mother," he said, pointing towards JJ with his thumb over the shoulder.

"We know that. Has he ever showed any behaviour that might indicate that he is doing this?" asked Hotch, getting straight to the point.

"Well, he loves kids. Always has, from what I remember. Gets drunk though. A lot," said Wes.

"No shit," whispered JJ, trying not to attract attention from the four other people in the car as she looked out the window at the scenery passing by. It was still the same. '_Oh, look. There goes my high school,' _though JJ.

"Here we are," said the driver, pulling into a parking spot in the lot and getting out, walking into the station.

It was a small wooden house with 'Sherriff's Station' on a sign next to the door. Old fashioned sort of station. Inside it was huge with desks lining the walls and creating isles between them.

"You FBI people can have that interview room over there to set up all your stuff," said Wes, pointing across the station's bull pen to a long side room with a board, table and boxes and boxes of files against the back wall.

"Thanks," said Emily sarcastically, pushing the small of JJ's back to get her moving.

"Sherriff. Another girl has gone missing!" said one of the lackeys at a desk.


	3. Chapter 3

The FBI Behavioural Analysis Unit had been in JJ's home town in Pennsylvania for less than twelve hours and so far two girls had gone missing and the local sheriff, his lackeys and anyone JJ might've known as a child had shunned her completely and that was not a good start to a case. So far, Steve Rollins had vanished from East Allegheny and Jeremy had no idea where the guy was. JJ had been reunited with her brother with Derek, who was told to go with it and JJ could explain, and she had met the sister-in-law, Sarah, and the seven year old niece she never knew about Lauren. Blonde hair and blue eyed. Her brother had brown eyes and blonde hair and Sarah had blue eyes with browny hair.

_Flashback_

_"So JJ, who is this guy we're going to talk to?" asked Derek, following the directions the GPS unit gave him and looking between the road ahead and his blonde companion._

_"Jeremy Jareau," she said simply, looking over file contents._

_"Jareau?" he asked. "Is he a relation to you?"_

_"Younger brother. I grew up in this town Derek. I know most of the people and my neighbourhood practically raised me because my mother was drunk all the time. I haven't them in ten years," she said__ quietly and a little sarcastically__, explaining parts but leaving others out._

_"You know, you can't be working this case. Wait, why are we visiting your brother for a child abduction case?" asked Derek, looking even more shocked._

_"I have an idea of who it might be," said JJ, wishing, hoping and silently begging that he would drop it._

_"Who, JJ?" asked Derek, in his big brotherly voice._

_"My step-father, can we drop it now, please? Hotch knows__ my reasons and I'm asking you to trust me with this," she explained, wanting him to take what she was giving for the time being._

_"Okay. You can spill your guts when you're ready, Blondie," replied the only brother she had known for the past six years._

_"Thank-you. Turn left at the next major," JJ said, eyes dropping back to file._

_Fifteen minutes later, the pair arrived at a neat and trim looking house with a garden out the front, toys in the yard and what looked like at least a few acres of land out the back including a barn and a dog._

_Derek knocked on the door and a very pregnant woman had opened it with a welcoming look on her face. "Yes, can I help you?"_

_"Hi. We're Agents Morgan and Jareau from the FBI's Behavioural Analysis Unit. Is Jeremy home?" said JJ, looking to the woman with a serious smile__ and flashing her badge, mimicking Morgan_

_"Can I ask what it's regarding?" she asked._

_"Steve Rollins," answered JJ, automatically, glancing inside the house to see more toys and a modern looking living room as well as photo's all across the wall above the TV. A little girl, hair in bright blonde pony tails and wearing jeans, sneakers complete with jacket and scarf, ran past them, between Morgan and JJ's legs, pushing them slightly._

_"Lauren Jennifer Jareau! Apologise! You know better than to push through people__ without saying, 'excuse me,'" said the woman, scalding the child lightly._

_"It's okay, really," said Morgan, looking to JJ when they heard the middle name. "Kids are kids. Are you Jeremy's wife?"_

_"Sorry," said Lauren before going to play with dog in the front yard._

_"I'm sorry about that. Yes, I am. I am Sarah Jareau. Jeremy's in the barn working on a car. Would you like me to call him up here for you, or are you right to go down there yourselves?" asked the Sarah._

_"We're okay, thank you," said Morgan, smiling and taking JJ by the arm gently to walk down the drive to the barn. They were aware that Sarah was watching them, not sure if she should trust them._

_Derek banged a fist on the wall of the barn, a black 1967 Mustang facing the same direction as the Agents looked into the barn__ with its hood up, obviously being worked on. A loud bang startled the two and they automatically reached for their firearms._

_"Yes?" asked a man, just shy of six foot, rubbing the back of his head emerged from under the hood. Derek would see JJ in the man and the man in JJ._

_"Jeremy Jareau?" asked JJ, struggling to keep her voice in check. She hadn't seen her brother in ten years and here he was standing in front of her, having changed a lot in that time. When he was fourteen, he was a scrawny little kid who was protected by his older sister and her friends. Now, he was taller, he had put on weight and was wearing a tank top that showed off the muscles he had created. A once full head of dirty, sandy blonde hair was now longer and hanging over his eyes and receding slightly. He had bags under his eyes which could only come from being a father with one kid and another on the way._

_"Yes. What can I do you for?" he asked, dumping the wrench he was holding into an open drawer of a four and a half foot high tool box and began to wipe his hands clean on the rag dangling from his jean pocket._

_"I'm Agent Morgan and this is Agent Jareau. We'd like to-," Derek was cut off by Jeremy, looking closer at JJ._

_"Jen?" he asked._

_"Jez," she replied, very obviously caught off guard as he launched himself at her in a bear hug._

_"Okay, that's enough. We need to talk about Steve," she said, pushing him off, spotting some grease on Emily's red shirt that she borrowed. Best part about dating a woman who wears the same size clothes – you can share._

_"What about that bastard?" he __asked with the__ irritation__ evident in his tone._

_"Do you know where he might be? Hangouts? Places he might go to hide? Bars? Anything?" asked JJ._

_"There's one bar he always goes to and a Hamburger Restaurant he loves. Stan's Burger Joint. __They're__ across the road from each other," said Jeremy, still taking in the sight of his sister._

_"How about people who he might go to? Or even property he owns?" said Morgan, hoping to jog Jeremy's memory to see if there was anything there about Steve._

_"Old army mate. Lives in town in a small unit. Off Berkeley Avenue, I think. James Riles," he said, moments of thinking and hesitation stopping the quickness of his answer._

_"Army?" asked Morgan, looking at the young man. Possible military background was in their profile they had created._

_"Yeah. Dishonourable discharge for threatening a higher ranked officer," said JJ, quietly as she looked to the dirt that was her __brother's__ driveway._

_"I'll call Garcia," said Morgan, stepping meters away down the drive. He could see awkwardness between the siblings._

_"So, how are you?" asked Jez, as JJ had called him. It was a childhood nickname that they had made for the younger Jareau, JJ already taken by Jennifer, and there was several Jeremy's in his classes at school._

_"I'm good. Lauren _Jennifer_?"asked JJ, astounded that her niece had her first name for her middle one._

_"I didn't know when I was going to see you again. And you always looked after me," he said._

_"JJ," said Morgan, nodding his head to the car, Garcia talking in his ear._

_"I have to go," she said, hurrying to catch up with Morgan._

_Jeremy just watched his sister leave, walk out of his life again. At least he had her phone number._

_End Flashback_

JJ and Morgan had had little success in trying to find Steve Rollins from the information Jeremy had provided. His army buddy claimed not to have seen him in months and neither had the bar and restaurant owners. He had been bold enough to take another girl during their interrogation of Jeremy, James Riles and the owners.

Meanwhile, Hotch and Emily had gone to the homes of the family of the current missing girl and the teenagers who all claimed to have seen a man matching the photograph they had of Steve take little Ashden Ridders, the first missing girl. Stacey Kenny had gone missing only hours after the arrival of the FBI. Reid was mapping out where the victims were taken and found to see if there was any connection.

They had all met up at the station after two hours without any luck. Emily had pulled JJ aside and asked her if she was okay with everything that was happening. She had seen and talked to her brother, his wife and his daughter while trying to find her fugitive step-father.

"JJ. Would a press conference help?" asked Rossi.

"It might. If you refer to him as incompetent or idiotic or something, it might anger him enough to draw him out?" she suggested, as she leaned against Emily's knee and the table behind her, a soft hand rubbing her back soothingly. She couldn't lose it on this case, or she would for all the others she had witnessed and all the ones she would.

"Well, he shoots them to kill them. That could suggest incompetence," said Reid, speaking up.

"Yeah, we can use that to our advantage. We should also put a plain clothes officer in all the parks seeing as that is where the kids all went missing," said Morgan.

"Alright. Get some reporters here. And call Garcia to find out where she is on finding this guy. Until we have this guy in custody," said Hotch, pointing at their photo of JJ's step-father, "we charge him, unless another girl appears. The rest of you call around and get those officers set up."

"Someone should go interview my mother. She's in recovery at the hospital because this guy beat her up," said JJ. "I had Garcia double check the hospital records."

Reid was confused, Derek had an idea that this case was all about JJ, Hotch and Rossi agreed with her and Emily smiled at her encouragingly.

"Do you want to talk to her?" asked Hotch, receiving a warning glare from Emily that said 'don't-push-her-with-this'. She shook her head no and he was surprisingly okay with that.

"Prentiss and Reid, hospital now," he said.

JJ had picked up the phone and was beginning to get reporters and radio broadcasters to a conference where she could explain that there was a perverted serial killer targeting children, more specifically, little girls. Within the hour, more than a dozen journalists and news reporters were on the steps outside the Sherriff's station, listening to JJ tell them about the serial killer, his incompetence and saying that they know who he is. The FBI hotline was set up again for anyone who might've seen anything and JJ was about to lose it out in front of all the media.

As soon as she had explained about whom it was they were looking for, she walked speedily inside to the closest chair. This was starting to get to her and she was breaking slowly. The guilt had set in, denial and anger having already passed though her emotional systems. She felt that it was her fault that these girls, with blonde hair and blue eyes, were being taken. Steven Rollins was obsessed with her and she had to stop him from hurting another two girls before it was too late.


	4. Chapter 4

"Agents," said the Sherriff walking into the office the FBI BAU Agents up used to set up their own command centre. "You have to see this on the TV."

"What is it?" asked Hotch, following the older man.

"Hostage situation on the TV, down at a local burger cafe," he said, looking to Hotch.

Reid, JJ, Hotch and Rossi followed him out into their bullpen to stand in front of a small television that was sitting on the desk near the Deputy's desk. It was a live broadcast on the channel six news. It showed Stan's Hamburger Joint with a man yelling and pointing a weapon at his hostages. JJ leaned her head forward a smidge to try and see if they could get a face from the shot, and as she had wanted the cameraman zoomed in at the right time, giving a clear view of the hostage taker. Her head dropped as her arms crossed over her chest, sighing loudly.

"Your men can handle this," said Rossi, pointing to the TV. "We're here to find the UnSub who is taking little girls all over your town."

"That is our UnSub," said JJ, pointing out Steve Rollins and holding the photo up to the TV to show resemblance.

As everyone began to move to set up for the situation, JJ grabbed Hotch's arm, "Hotch, Emily and Morgan are in there. They went to talk to some people if they had seen him lately and my mother at the hospital."

"People!" yelled Hotch, getting the attention of all the chaos that was the local police as they grabbed vests and guns and went to talk to the Sherriff about what he wanted them to do. "Two of our Agents are in there and this is the kidnapper of the little girls. We have jurisdiction over this situation and no one will storm this cafe unless we say so!"

A few lower ranked officers started to protest until even the Sherriff agreed with them, but he only gave them half an hour to talk him down and arrest him or to shoot the guy before they would storm it. Minutes later, the four agents were in their black SUV, tugging vests on and checking their weapons and it didn't take long for them to block off the street and get into contact with Steve, giving him a two-way phone to communicate more privately.

Meanwhile in the cook was lying on the floor with a bloody nose, being hit with the butt of the gun when he tried to charge Steve. He was angry and was sitting across from Emily in a booth, Morgan across from them on a stool and all of the other regulars further down away from the door to stop them escaping.

"What are you going to do?" asked Emily, completely calm, not wanting to agitate him more. Underneath the table, Emily had her phone out and had called JJ, letting her listen in on their conversation.

"I'm going to walk right out of here," he said, an angry, menacingly grin spreading across his worn and wrinkled face.

"How do you plan on doing that?" asked Morgan, anticipating the answer about to come from a perverted psychopath.

Steve turned his head to look out the window at the agents behind the car, JJ's blonde hair just visible beyond the windshield. She turned to look at cafe, his tainted eyes looking straight to hers through her soul. JJ felt exposed and she did not like it. JJ quickly looked back to Hotch and suggested that she talk to him through the phone, which was denied as quickly as she had looked away. She was trying to reason with her boss, saying that if she could talk him down, JJ might be able to distract him long enough for someone to cuff him or something. Hotch's excuse was that if they talked, she would have to go in there and they didn't need another Federal Agent to be held hostage.

"She's gonna walk me out," he said simply, picking up the phone and moving further down the small train-car-like cafe onto the bench, toying with his weapon in his hands with the phone between his should and ear. He was no longer angry, but excited. His JJ had come back for him, he just knew it. Emily looked from the crazy guy a few meters away, to JJ and back, her anger boiling over but the brunette managed to keep it to herself. The team now had twenty minutes to get to this guy or the cops would storm it, which in turn would set Steve off and he would shoot some people.

"Who am I speaking with?" asked Hotch, after the agent in the control van announced that he was calling them.

"I wanna talk to the blonde woman. Jennifer," he said, making even Hotch want to strangle him. Even the way he said JJ's name crept him out.

Aaron Hotchner considered JJ's words carefully about being able to talk the man down. When JJ looked to Hotch, he motioned for her to come closer. The phone was on hold so they could talk privately without him hearing.

"Talk to him," said Hotch, leaning against a low bench.

JJ took him off hold and started talking to him. "Steve."

"Jenny. My Little Jenny," said Steve, causing JJ to feel sick and dirty all over again.

"I'm going to come in and we're going to talk you and me, okay?" she replied.

"Okay, no weapon though," he exclaimed, anger taking over for a second.

"Okay, no gun. I-I'll be there in a minute," said JJ, clicking a button and making the line go dead on his end. Hotch sent a glare her way.

"No, JJ!" he said, hands going to his own waist in an attempt to look pissed when he was really only scared for her.

"Emily's phone call. He wants me! I go in there and walk him out," she said. "Hotch, I have to do this. Not just for those people in there and kids he may've taken, but for me too."

Her boss sighed and agreed, "Only if you wear a homing device so we can follow you, if he takes you with him. We only have a few minutes to get it on you before you go in. Reid, get an anklet homer. Put it on JJ."

He looked between the two of them, before doing as he was told. Two minutes later it was strapped to her ankle and hidden under her jeans leg. JJ handed her weapon to Hotch and slowly made her way past the barriers of police cars and into the cafe, hands up in surrender to show him she meant no harm when really she wanted to rip him a new one really badly.

It had taken all the strength JJ and Emily had not to look each other in the eye. Morgan just watched the scene unfold right before him. He couldn't believe that Hotch had actually let JJ come in unarmed.

"My girl!" exclaimed Steve, proudly as he wrapped his arms around JJ, not noticing her flinch and turn rigid. As soon as he let go, JJ pressed herself to the edge of a table and let out a shaky breath.

"Steve," smiled JJ quickly.

He looked at her with a stern look. As a child, her mother and Steve had tried to get her to call him daddy. It never worked.

"I'm a little old to call you daddy, Steve," she reasoned, hoping he would bite.

"Then you call me DAD! I can't believe it, you actually here," he said dreamily.

"_Dad,_ you have to let all these people go," said JJ. "The cops could charge you with something. Bad! You've taken little girls and hurt them. You killed them. You need to come out with me."

"NO! NO!" he said angrily waving his gun. Sure JJ had a vest one He started sobbing. "I never meant to hurt them. They just-they looked so much like you. They looked like my little Jenny."

"I know, which is why you have to-,"she was cut off and Emily could've sworn she saw JJ jump.

"NO! I'm not going out there," he said, eyes going wild and moving frantically, thinking. "I have to-I have...to."

JJ barely had time to react when he lifted the gun to his temple, holding it there ready to pull the trigger. 'I'm sorry,' kept being repeated. Steve had gone into a trance and finally came to a realisation that he had done terrible things. It looked like he had had a mental disorder for years, spinning his images of the world and of people, making him delusional. He looked to JJ as she tried to talk but nothing came out. She wanted him to pull the trigger for the things he had done to her and those girls, but some part of her didn't want him too, so he could be punished in jail.

"I'm sorry," he said one final time, the gun letting out an exploding bang and sending blood splatter all over JJ as she stared open-eyed at the now lifeless body slumped over the seat in the closest booth.

"JJ," said Emily, sprinting the meters to her lover. She turned the shocked blonde to face her, her eyes giving it away that she was miles away. "Are you okay? JJ, look at me."

Slowly her head turned to Emily and she started to register about things that were going on. A SWAT team was making their way into the cafe, slamming the door open and pulling all the hostages out as well as Morgan and Emily, who had to frog march JJ out of the cafe and to the back of the SUV. The medics would have to treat the hand full of people for shock.

Emily found a tissue in a packet in her bag and sprinkled water onto it hours later, in an attempt to clean JJ's face. She was still on shock and was working on automatic mode. She had refused to go to the hotel to get cleaned up but Hotch had denied her access to the case files until she did that, so she sat and watched them.

"Sherriff!" screamed a man, running into the station, attracting the attention of everyone including JJ. His wife ran in behind him, her pregnancy making her waddle.

"Jeremy?" asked JJ, walking out of the office to her brother. "Jeremy, what happened?"

"Lauren's missing," he said.

JJ looked between Jeremy and Sarah, not sure what to do.


End file.
